Principal’s report

It has been an extremely busy first half of the term at Armidale High School with many opportunities for students and parents to participate in school initiatives.

The Governor’s visit

It was a pleasure to host His Excellency, The Governor of NSW, David Hurley and Mrs Hurley at Armidale High School last Thursday. The request to visit our school came as a delightful surprise and despite having relatively short notice we were able to plan a very engaging visit for His Excellency and Mrs Hurley.

The visit commenced with a Welcome to Country and introductions to the school captains and the Director, Mrs Sue Brown. We were aware that The Governor is a keen bee-keeper so we were able to incorporate a visit to the school farm where Mrs Smith and the year 11 primary industries class talked about the school beehive and other projects currently underway. The challenge has been set between the class and His Excellency to compete in the honey section of the show next year.

The Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME) were on-site with their tutoring squads and spoke with the couple about the purpose of the program.

His Excellency and Mrs Hurley talked freely with the students and observed the tasks that the students were completing.

A performance by the Side by Side choir and morning tea prepared and served by the girls from our own Acorn Café really topped off the morning. Mrs Hurley is a teacher with a strong background in music and was so enchanted by the performance of the choir. The high tea that was served by the girls was spectacular and they spoke publicly with the couple about the foundation skills program that that they have been involved in over the past 12 months.

armidale-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

www.armidale-h.schools.nsw.edu.au

02 6776 7466 Butler St

Armidale NSW 2350

The Oak Leaf Armidale High School

Issue: 2 / 27 February 2017

It was a pleasure to host such a successful visit and I would like to acknowledge the collective efforts of everyone involved in making this happen.

Antique Fair

The Armidale Antique and Collectables Fair is the major P&C fundraiser for Armidale High School. The success of the fair is largely due to the enormous support of parents, students and staff who give up valuable time to help out over the three-day event in a variety of ways. I would like to make special mention of Jody Brash who has once again taken on the massive task of fair coordinator. Jody worked tirelessly in the busy lead up and was on duty for the duration of the fair ensuring that everything ran smoothly.

Twilight carnival

We had fantastic conditions for our swimming carnival last week. The participation and enthusiasm of all the students at the pool was outstanding. It is great to see the house spirit at Armidale High School alive and well. Thank you to the PD/H/PE staff for organising such a successful event and to the parents/carers who were able to come along and offer support.

Year 7 Barbecue

It was wonderful to see so many families at the recent barbecue. Our year 7 students have settled in so well and it is always wonderful to have the opportunity to meet and greet parents and carers at informal events such as this.

Carolyn Lasker Acting Principal

Captain’s Corner

Valentine’s Day We hope that you’ve all been able to get all the glitter out of your hair and clothes. If not, just enjoy the reminder of what a spectacularly sparkly day we had on Tuesday. This year’s Valentine’s Day was a massive success. See the school website or at the end of this newsletter to enjoy some of the stunning

pictures from the day, courtesy of photographers Emily Dobos and Grace Paris. We’ve raised close to $300.00, which will be going towards supporting Armidale High’s participation in ‘Shave for a Cure’. Students, remember to see Ms Lovelock next week if you want to volunteer to donate your lovely locks (parental permission required). There will also be waxing and colouring of hair for those less inclined to shave their head.

Governor of NSW’s Visit His Excellency the Governor of NSW made a special visit to Armidale High on Thursday with his wife Mrs Hurley.

They were impressed by all they saw of our school, especially by the School Farm and beehive, and the Side by Side Choir. Governor Hurley was also very interested in the AIME program and we observed a tutoring session underway in the Learning Hub. We were then treated to a wonderful recess by the lovely girls of the Acorn Cafe. Thank you girls, it was delicious and beautifully presented.

The two School Captains, Subhanu and Georgie, as well as Ms Lasker, had the honour of attending a reception that the Governor hosted at Glen Innes on Saturday night. It was a delightful evening of dapper clothing, excellent hors d'oeuvres and interesting socialising, complete with performances by a local dance trio and a primary school choir. Speeches were made about the importance of regional communities and the value seen by the

Governor in visiting towns like Armidale, Guyra and Glen Innes; Mrs Hurley expressed her perspective on their experiences in song. We very much look forward to meeting them again on the captains’ visit to Government House in Sydney later in the year.

Suggestions Box Finally, for students, we are calling for feedback and suggestions about life at Armidale High! Together, we can work to make our school environment even more inclusive and exciting. At our fortnightly captains’ meetings we have the chance to discuss anything of this sort and more, so in order to properly represent you, please tell us what needs discussing! You can do this in person through any captains or SRC members, or, beginning as early next week as we can get it up and running, via our new suggestion box/boxes! Really enjoyed Valentine’s Day? Have an idea for making assemblies even better? Want to see more competitions or games at the school social, or have a theme in mind? Drop in all your suggestions for us to go through, with or without your name attached. More information coming soon via the morning notices

Welcome Precious Little Ones

Danielle Rose Galvin born to AHS staff member, Rachael Pearce and Jeremy Galvin on Saturday 11th February. Congratulations to Rachael and Jeremy on your beautiful little girl!

Tobie and Grace White and 16-month-old Evee also have a new addition to their family. Gorgeous little Theodore (Teddy) makes their family 4. Here is a pic of Teddy and another of Eevee and Teddy meeting. Congrats White family!

Anniversary of Sorry Speech

Our school recognized the nine-year anniversary of the formal apology that the Prime Minister Rudd offered to Australia’s indigenous peoples which began with the words: ‘Today we honour the Indigenous peoples of this land, the oldest continuing cultures in human history.’

Mr Bruce Dennison paid respects to elders past and present and to future leaders. He said ‘I want to acknowledge my ancestors who looked after the country we call home today and all of the brothers and sisters who have come to call this place our home.’

Mr Dennison explained that the day marked the anniversary of the Sorry Speech by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, which was an apology for past mistreatment, for too many laws and policies of successive governments, particularly for the Stolen Generations.

‘It was a heartfelt and sincere apology from the Prime Minister who hoped it would be accepted in the spirit in which it was offered, a part of the healing process,’ said Mr Dennison.

Industrial Technology

Congratulations to the students who competed in the Regional Wood Work challenge at Glen Innes Show. They were outstanding and both teams managed to win their division and therefore qualify for state finals! Well done to both teams, we are so proud of you.

Science

The Science Faculty would like to welcome all new students and their families to Armidale High School. Our teaching staff of Amanda Garvey (Head Teacher), Julie Ainsworth, Peter Laffan, Tobie White and Tanya Williams, are ready for another challenging year with our interested and motivated scientists in years 7 - 12. We also welcome Andrew Curry, Marty McCabe and Rebecca Lewis who are taking some Science classes this year. This will be a great opportunity to share ideas and resources with these teachers. Our faculty cannot function without the continued support of our wonderful Lab Assistant Megan Babbs and our other lab support staff Christine Kelly. Students will also see much more of our teaching cadet Scott Siddons, who will be working with students across a range of our junior classes to assist them with their learning.

Our Year 7 students are immersing themselves in the Science Laboratories, learning about the specialised equipment, processes of scientific investigation and lab safety. Year 8 are working through units on chemistry or the human body, and Year 9 are working on their Student Research Projects. Year 10 have started their rotation through the units of work that will give them exposure to the courses they may elect to study in Years 11 and 12. All students have received an assessment schedule for the year so don’t hesitate to ask your child about the work they are doing at school.

Our faculty focus areas this year include ensuring that an emphasis is placed on continuing to develop the literacy skills of our students through explicit teaching and scaffolding. We are also widening and making explicit the links between learning in Science, and the skills and knowledge gained in Technology and Mathematics, with a more STEM based focus in our hands-on units of work.

We look forward to continuing to offer a variety of additional learning experiences in Science. Year 7CR have already had a trip to Thalgarrah EEC, 9CR will be participating in the Science and Engineering Challenge at UNE in March, and the Kickstart Biology and Physics workshops for Year 12 are hosted by AHS in May. Plans are being finalised for a Year 11 Biology and Senior Science excursion to the National Marine Science Centre in March.

Year 12 students are working hard to prepare themselves for their Half-Yearly exams

- a milestone towards completing their final year of school. Our Year 11 students have started their journey in their senior science courses - the last cohort to study the current syllabi. They will also be the last to sit the current HSC in 2018! New Preliminary (and HSC) courses will commence in 2018. The Science Faculty have already started to familiarise themselves with these new documents and look forward to supporting our students through the changes.

We encourage our students to be active learners, to take responsibility and ownership of the learning process and we look forward to working with them this year. We also greatly welcome and encourage all parents and carers to be a part of this process so please do not hesitate to call us if you have any queries regarding your child’s learning in Science.

Amanda Garvey Head Teacher Science

Mathematics, Creative & Performing Arts

The Mathematics and Creative and Performing Arts Faculty strives for excellence in its students and has a continuing tradition of students achieving band 6 in HSC Art, Mathematics and Music.

There are some exciting excursions and investigative activities coming up in each of these subjects this semester, so keep an eye out for: DADA excursion (Yr 9-11), Vocal Camp, Band Camp, Arts in Concert, Choose Maths, Year 8 Maths Day at UNE, and many more.

For all enquiries relating to this faculty, please contact Jayne Lovelock (head teacher) at 6772 7466, or by email (jayne.lovelock2@det.nsw.edu.au) or your child’s teacher directly.

Mathematics

A warm welcome to our new and continuing students in Mathematics for this year. Year 7 has begun with diagnostic testing to place students into classes that best suit their learning needs. We have begun with number to reinforce and build on their skills from primary school. Year 8 are studying Algebraic Techniques, year 9 are studying Pythagoras’ Theorem and Trigonometry, and

year 10 are studying Indices (10M1 Surds). Our senior students have begun their courses and are working hard to lay the foundations for the skills they will require for their HSC.

Quicksmart is continuing this year with select year 7 and 8 students. This year we are incorporating this program into one of our Year 7 classes to further build numerical skills and increase recall of basic facts. We are a pilot school for this new online program in our partnership with the University of New England and the students and staff are very excited.

Towards the end of this term we will be focusing on interpreting the Naplan Numeracy examinations in preparation for the exam next term for years 7 and 9. This type of preparation helps students to understand different ways of questioning so they are better able to perform to their ability.

It is important that all students have their equipment for each lesson. Please ensure that your child has a book, pens/pencils and a calculator for each class.

Visual Arts

Exciting things have been happening in Art so far this year. Year 7 have been investigating beautiful lines made by different artists: watery lines by John Olsen and walking lines by Natalie Kngwarreye. Year 8 has been looking at rhythm and movement in art: studying visual patterns and how they affect the viewer. Year 9 are looking at food in art: how to make art out of food and food into art. Year 10 are investigating real estate: the hidden meaning behind the humble Australian house. Yr 11 Photography have been exploring the extraordinary effects of light on photographic paper and how to make pictures without a camera.

In our Visual Arts Class, Year 9 are doing a unit of study about food in art. So naturally we had a double lesson decorating patti cakes and then eating them just to get us in the mood!

Fiona Xeros Visual Arts

Music

Our main focus in music is to provide our students with high quality and meaningful musical experiences both in the classroom and through extra curricula activities. We have a special program running with teaching staff from the New England Conservatorium of Music (NECOM) coming in to work with our students in extra curricula activities we run at the school.

Jazz band has been running the last two years and has been led under the guidance of experienced jazz musician Warwick Dunham. The string ensemble has been a long running ensemble at Armidale high school, which this year is being led by renowned string teacher/ musician Laura Curotta. The choir is currently preparing an audition for Schools Spectacular. The choir will also be heading down to Sydney in May to participate in the Arts in Concert program held for public schools. Armidale High has been involved with this program for many years now. The Side-by-Side choir is a unique ensemble in the Armidale region, with students from our choir pairing up with students from our support unit to learn fun music and create fun and colourful musical experiences for everyone involved.

Armidale High has enjoyed success at the Armidale Eisteddfod over many years in the both the extra curricula ensembles, class ensembles and individual composition. The music department has seen many students successfully receiving nominations and qualifications for Bravissimo in the Glasshouse and HSC Encore in the Sydney Opera House. We often work closely with the community and have participated in the ACOS concerts and New England sings, both bi-annual events involving local schools.

Jame Lovelock Head Teacher, Mathematics, Creative & Performing Arts

Ancient History

As part of year 7's study of Ancient History, 7CU worked

happily in small groups and discovered that wrapping a

"mummy" was not as simple as they thought. They

enjoyed the challenge and learned much about the

process of mummification and its place in ancient Egyptian

society.

This fortnight, the Year 11 Ancient History group went

to UNE and explored the Museum of Antiquities.

PDHPE

The PDHPE faculty are looking forward to another exciting year in 2017. We are constantly evolving as new and exciting activities are explored in order to deliver the curriculum. Health, fitness, sport and personal development information can change within society and we encourage students to become very informed about these topics.

The DEN floor has been resurfaced and is looking superb. This is a great facility for PDHPE practical lessons and we encourage all students to be as active as possible during this time. Students should come to school in uniform and change for physical education lessons as required.

Year 12 Courses: Congratulations to the class of 2016 for completing the HSC course. It was great to see three students achieve a Band 5 result in PDHPE.

Year 12 students are about to start Core 2 which is called “Factors Affecting Performance”. They will study aspects of elite sports performance such as skill acquisition, energy systems and biomechanical principles. Many practical examples can be used to study the content including the Olympics, Tour de France and the NRL competition.

Sports Coaching: Our Sports Coaching course is now in its second year with students working toward a Certificate II TAFE qualification. They study all aspects of sports coaching and develop valuable skills and confidence in a variety of physical activities.

Sport, Lifestyle and Recreation Studies: The Year 12 SLR class will study a unit called Social Perspectives of Sport in Term 1. Aspects of sport that reflect society will be examined. This includes patterns of participation, violence in sport, drug use and the media. This will be followed by a unit on Sports Medicine and First Aid where students will develop skills and knowledge around the competencies required to be a Sports Trainer. This may include taping and bandaging, injury assessment and the development of sport policies.

Year 11: PDHPE students have begun their preliminary studies and will start by investigating the content of Core 2 “The Body in Motion”. Aspects of anatomy, physiology and biomechanics are explored. Students study the relationship between the body and efficient movement for sport performance. They engage in some practical laboratory type experiments to measure vital signs and fitness.

Years 7-10: Establishing a supportive learning environment is important at the start of every school year to enable students to feel safe to learn and ask questions.

Some aspects of PDHPE may be viewed as sensitive or controversial, such as learning about abuse, child protection, drugs, respectful relationships, sexual health, sexuality and violence. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to contact their PDHPE teacher throughout the year if they have any concerns. It is important that we

learn about the positive factors that contribute to good health and become critical thinkers regarding accessing health products and services.

Physical education through PDHPE is one of the most effective means of providing all children and young people with the skills, attitudes, values, knowledge and understanding for lifelong participation in society. Our aim is to encourage children to be more physically active, not to turn them off activity. Fitness education can be used effectively to encourage students to plan and monitor their own fitness and physical activity as a part of teaching and learning about fitness concepts in PDHPE.

The PDHPE Faculty implements the 7-10 syllabus for PDHPE. The students engage in a variety of theoretical and practical activities based on health, personal development and physical education. Currently the year groups are studying the following topics.

Year 7 - Healthy Lifestyles

Year 8 - Fitness Principles

Year 9 - Mental Health

Year 10 - Active Lifestyle

The PDHPE faculty also runs electives in various year groups. Physical Activity and Sport Studies (Sport Science) is an option for students in Years 9 and 10. In Years 7 & 8 students can elect Sport, Fitness & Recreation. These electives all provide an opportunity for students to enhance their study of physical activity and sport in society.

Mal Gaukroger Head Teacher PDHPE

English / Drama

Year 10

Year 10 began the 2017 school year in English with teacher information about the RoSA credential. Over the course of the year, students will complete learning activities and assessment tasks that culminate in a final grade: A to E. Additionally, the work Year 10 will be completing is foundational for confidence and success in Year 11 and 12, so students will be engaged in a wide range activities and

assessments to achieve this goal. There will be two units covered this term with important assessment tasks for both. The first unit concludes in Week 6 of term and is a portfolio language study of three multimedia texts, called Into the Future. The second unit is a poetry study called Light and Dark leading to an essay response in the last week of term. To maximise progress, students should seek advice and guidance from their teacher as the units are delivered. The AHS Homework centre operates every Monday after school in the library; students can use this service to complete tasks and seek assistance. Year 10 teachers are keen to explore the opportunities that technology brings to the learning environment, so a laptop or tablet should be brought to every lesson.

Year 9

Year 9 are engaging in an in-depth novel study in a unit called 'The Laws of Life'. Through the novel study, students will learn about how point of view and theme in a novel can represent cultural values. Telling stories through novels is one of the ways we organise and make sense of life, and through a close study of a class novel, students in Year 9 gain an understanding of the ways authors choose to express particular feelings and ideas and to articulate the impact these choices have on them as responders. Novel choices include Harper Lee's classic 'To Kill a Mockingbird' and 'The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian' by Sherman Alexei. Assessment will include narrative and persuasive writing to be drafted and edited for submission as polished pieces of writing. Narrative writing is due Week 5; Persuasive writing is due Week 8. Staff are keen to explore the opportunities that technology brings to the learning environment so a laptop or tablet should be brought to every lesson.

Year 8

In Term 1, Year 8 classes are working on a unit called Imagery: Poetry, Myth and Legend. Teachers will be focusing on a range of poetry, myths and legends. Students will identify how imagery, figurative language and sound devices convey information and promote understanding, while developing strategies to apply this new knowledge in their writing and responses to texts. Already, students have been developing their knowledge and understanding of a range of poetic techniques and have started writing poetry in groups and individually, using a range of devices to enhance communication of ideas. There are two assessment tasks this term: a poetry writing task in Week 5 and a narrative writing task in Week 10. Students have been issued with these tasks and

should be working on them in class and at home. Teachers are happy to assist students with further advice and assistance.

Year 7

Year 7 are settling into life at Armidale High School and in English have begun their first unit of work - a novel study.

Through the novel study students will learn about character, plot and setting and discuss the idea of courage and how it relates to the novel

they are reading. There are two assessment tasks that students will submit this term. In the first assessment task, due in Week 6, students will submit a piece of creative writing based on the idea of courage.

The second assessment task to be submitted in Week 10 is a persuasive writing task. Some of the focus this term in English will be around preparation for the NAPLAN tests, early in term 2. The preparation of these assessment tasks will assist the students in planning for their NAPLAN test. Students will be supported in class on how to write their assessments. If any student needs extra help with their classwork or assessment tasks they should see their classroom teacher for some additional support. The AHS Homework Centre operates in the school Library on Monday afternoons between 3:30 and 5pm. All students are welcome and school staff are available to assist students with their school work.

Greg Bugden Head Teacher English/Drama

Primary Industry

3 Year 11 Primary industry students and 2 Year 9 Agriculture students attended a cattle handling day at Wakefield Charolais stud near Wollomombi.

Students handled and fed stud cattle and learned about cattle selection, temperament and desirable traits in cattle.

Our students enjoyed the day immensely and many thanks to Greg and Jenny Frizell for sharing their knowledge and allowing our students to handle their cattle. It was a great experience!

Bec Smith Agriculture Teacher

Sporting News

Twilight Swimming Carnival

Well done to each and every student who participated in the gala – either by swimming or by supporting their House mates – you all contributed to the success and enjoyment of the day.

Oxley was the winning House with the points breakdown as follows:

OXLEY: 454

SALISBURY: 389

CHANDLER: 298

DUMARESQ: 290

The Age Champions and Record Breakers from the Swimming Carnival are:

12 Kael Streeting Amber Lewis

13 Nicholas Bugden Lillian Ridges

14 Lachlan McLeod Esther Eickhoff

15 Jaiden Stevens Lily McCarthy

16 Jesse Streeting Amy Patridge

17+ Stuart McLennan Charlotte Russell

Swimming Carnival Records

Jesse Streeting 16y Boys

50m Freestyle New 26.43 Old 27.06

50m Backstroke New 30.66 Old 27.06

50m Butterfly New: 28.72 Old: 29.88

Lillian Ridges 13y Girls

50m Butterfly New: 36.07 Old: 37.16

Basketball

Congratulations to the following students who made the New England Zone Basketball Team:

o Danny Chandler o Adam Forsyth o Tyneisha Hoskins-Caldwell o Nikita Hoskins-Caldwell o Kearla Hoskins-Caldwell

The girls beat Duval in the first round of the basketball knockout and the boys won their knockout games as well.

Volleyball

The Open Boys won their knockout matches and we were successful in 6 students being selected for the North West Team. Congratulations to:

o Ryan Davies o Tajo Quafe o Cam Marshall o Tom Smith o Clarrie Barker o Henry Sindel

Congrats to the following girls who made the North-West Volleyball team:

o Chloe Maunder o Tyneisha Hoskins-Caldwell o Joanne Morgan o Kiara French o Janaya Brown

The girls also won their knockout games and progress to the next round.

Representative Trials

Term 1 is always a busy time on the sporting calendar. There are many representative trials on offer for a variety of sports. Students who are interested in these trials should contact the PDHPE staff regularly to ensure they are aware of the correct dates and venues of these trials.

Carnival dates - Term 1 2017

Tuesday 7th March: North West Swimming Trials, Armidale

Wednesday 15th March: New England Zone Winter Trials, Inverell

Wednesday 29th March: North West Winter Trials, Armidale

Wednesday Sport Years 7-10

Sport for Years 7-10 will now take place during Periods 3 and 4 in 2017. This change has been made to raise the profile and importance of participating in sport and physical activity at Armidale High. It also allows students to participate in cooler temperatures if doing physical activity outside.

Sport is compulsory for all students in Years 7-10. It is a great opportunity to select

a physical activity of choice and participate with friends. Students should only attend non-sport if they are injured and have a note explaining why they are unable to participate.

Students should not be signed out of the school during sport time. A great deal of organisation is involved to ensure sport time is a practical and rewarding experience for students. They should always be prepared for sport, particularly if it involves catching a bus, paying fees, and bringing specific gear such as a towel and swimmers.

Please listen carefully to the daily notices for information on sport within in the school.

Community Announcements

Armidale and District Netball Association 2017 season is now open for registration.

Further details on registration can be found on the ADNA website, and Facebook.

Furthermore, the 2017 Representative Trials for players turning 12, 13, 14 and 15 will be held on Friday, 17th February at the Lynches Road Netball Courts. 12's and 13's will trial 4:30pm - 5:30pm and 14's and 15's will trial 5:30pm to 6:30pm.

All players must commit to attending one fitness session and one skills session each week. Players also need to be registered to play Saturday netball. There will be a few carnivals that the girls will attend, in preparation for the State Age Carnival, to be held at the beginning of July.

For more information please contact Rochelle on 0431533813 or Julie Gates on 0427949146.

City Hockey Club

Field hockey registration for the 2017 winter season are now open. City fields teams in the Friday evening junior boys/mixed competition. Registration forms available from the Colour Copy Centre, East Mall. Email: peichorn@bigpond.com.au

Or phone 0427668915 for more details. All welcome!

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Valentine Mayhem

Having fun raising funds for cancer research whilst building a great school community!